Sarasota/Charlotte County Area Organic Produce Co-Op

Hello, fellow veg-heads! My name is Shannon, and I'm planning on starting up an Organic Produce Co-Op in the area, to make local (whenever possible), organic, healthy fresh, delicious produce more available and more affordable for members of our community. Members will be able to purchase weekly shares in one of two ways: customizable shares, with any amount and type of available seasonable produce, or small, medium, or large shares, with an assortment of seasonable fruits and veggies. These shares will be ordered a week in advance off a list of current items, and shares can be picked up at certain locations or possibly even delivered for free (depending on where you live). I currently have already contacted a fruit supplier with local tropical fruit (and some other fruit, to supplement, from other US locations--depending on seasonal availability)--you can look it up, if you'd like; the name of the company is Earth Source, and they are willing to work with the Co-Op to provide discounted, bulk fruit. They've sent me an example of some prices, and some items are even cheaper than conventional! The other plus is that you'll be able to buy fruit that you might not have ever tried before--tropical treats like sapodilla, canistel, guava, and passion fruit! I'm also working on getting a nearby, quality supplier of local vegetables--I've sent an email to Jessica's Organic Farm (I'll call if I don't hear back by Monday). This is absolutely a non-profit organization; the ultimate goal is to make quality, organic produce more obtainable to everyone!

Fresh fruits and vegetables are the key to health, and these will be locally grown and pesticide-free! If you're interested in becoming a member of our co-op, feel free to contact me on this page or email me at shannmarieisme@gmail.com.

I'm also looking for members who would be willing to provide some sort of pick-up location in their area (Venice, Sarasota--I'm in North Port) so that we can make it as convenient as possible for members to get their weekly orders. (We will be establishing a pick-up day that is most convenient for everyone, so let me know what day(s) would work the best for you.) These members would receive a small discount on their weekly share in exchange for their efforts, as well as the perk of being able to keep any produce that might be left over after the pick-up day/time-frame has ended. Please let me know if you would like to do this!

We're about:

We are a volunteer community group who explore the ideas of compassionate living. The central theme of our discussion is that all animals are beings who deserve to be treated with respect, including humans.

We encourage you to demonstrate curiosity. Together we study ideas outside the cultural conditioning in which we were all raised.

We focus our outreach efforts on introducing an improved way of eating. Eating with love, peace, and compassion for all beings. Our goal is to peel back the layers of disconnect and bring acknowledgement to the inner peace we all seek.

We each have consumer power. Collectively, the dollars we spend impact the world we live in. We must tune in and turn on to recognize how our choices affect us and the planet.

Consumer choices are being made every day about food. You will make one soon. Are you ready to be part of the solution?